Posts Tagged ‘Genetics’
DNA Test that Identifies Down Syndrome in Pregnancy Can Also Detect Trisomy 18 and Trisomy 13
A newly available DNA-based prenatal blood test that can identify a pregnancy with Down syndrome can also identify two additional chromosome abnormalities: trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) and trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome).The test for all three defects can be offered as early [Read More]
Gene Regulator in Brain’s Executive Hub Tracked Across Lifespan
Mental illness suspect genes are among the most environmentally responsive. For the first time, scientists have tracked the activity, across the lifespan, of an environmentally responsive regulatory mechanism that turns genes on and off in the brain’s executive hub. [Read More]
Same Genes Linked to Early- and Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease
The same gene mutations linked to inherited, early-onset Alzheimer’s disease have been found in people with the more common late-onset form of the illness. The discovery by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis may lead doctors and [Read More]
Scientists Turn Skin Cells Into Neural Precursors, Bypassing Stem Cell Stage
Mouse skin cells can be converted directly into cells that become the three main parts of the nervous system, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding is an extension of a previous study by the same group showing that mouse and [Read More]
Gene Mutation in Autism Found to Cause Hyperconnectivity in Brain’s Hearing Center
Hyperconnectivity triggered by loss of PTEN gene can be blocked by treatment with rapamycin. New research from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) might help explain how a gene mutation found in some autistic individuals leads to difficulties in processing auditory cues [Read More]
Genetic Breakthrough for Brain Cancer in Children
Canadian-led research team identifies two mutations in crucial gene involved in deadly pediatric brain tumours. An international research team led by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC) has made a major genetic breakthrough that could [Read More]
Envelope for an Artificial Cell
Chemists have taken an important step in making artificial life forms from scratch. Using a novel chemical reaction, they have created self-assembling cell membranes, the structural envelopes that contain and support the reactions required for life. Neal Devaraj, assistant [Read More]
Researchers Induce Alzheimer’s Neurons from Pluripotent Stem Cells
First-ever feat provides new method to understand cause of disease, develop drugs Led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, scientists have, for the first time, created stem cell-derived, in vitro models of sporadic and hereditary [Read More]
Genetic Study Offers Clues to How Intelligence Changes Through Life
Scientists have estimated for the first time the extent to which genes determine changes in intelligence across the human life course. The study found that genetic factors may account for about 24 per cent of changes in intelligence between childhood and old age. The [Read More]
A First: Brain Support Cells from Umbilical Cord Stem Cells
For the first time ever, stem cells from umbilical cords have been converted into other types of cells, which may eventually lead to new treatment options for spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis, among other nervous system diseases. “This is the first time [Read More]
